Mixed messages

Israel is losing support as it mulls Gaza ground invasion [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. Western leaders are sending mixed messages to Israel: While they feel its pain over Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, they advise it’s best to [hold off on a ground invasion]( while negotiations continue to free the more than 200 hostages. France’s Emmanuel Macron was the most recent major visiting leader to embrace Israel’s plan to destroy Hamas, even calling for an international coalition, while later saying an incursion now would be “an error.” Israelis argue that their very existence is at stake with violent militant groups on the nation’s borders, and the world should support the plan to eliminate the leaders of Hamas and its infrastructure in Gaza even if that means civilian casualties. But Israel’s [daily airstrikes on Gaza]( have killed thousands already and are causing fury and unrest across the Muslim world, and increasingly beyond. “Are we being told it is wrong to kill an entire family at gunpoint but it’s OK to shell them to death?” Jordan’s Queen Rania Al Abdullah, who is of Palestinian descent, asked in a widely viewed TV interview, referring to what she and others view as a double standard. Israeli officials say if they don’t respond forcefully to Hamas, labeled a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, their country’s enemies will view it as weak. They view the Hamas slaughter of 1,400 people is of a piece with anti-Semitic attacks over centuries. Its neighbors maintain that Israel’s response has been inhumane, and that the Hamas attack sprang from years of Israeli oppression of Palestinians. When United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed that idea, Israel demanded he resign. No other governments, even those that have stood by Israel, agreed. As tens of thousands of Israeli troops armed to the teeth await orders on Gaza’s border and hostage negotiations intensify, the gap between the two narratives is widening. — [Ethan Bronner]( Smoke over the northern Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike yesterday. Photographer: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images Global Must Reads China wants to boost trade and other cooperation, Premier Li Qiang told his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Mishustin. His comments at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which coordinates security policies across Asia, are a reminder that Beijing-Moscow [relations have remained warm](, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine. US House Speaker Mike Johnson’s evangelical Christian faith will guide his leadership of the lower chamber as it debates everything from abortion to the economy. Best known for his support of Donald Trump’s efforts to deny President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, the 51-year-old congressman is [the most conservative speaker]( of modern times. Trump and Johnson. Photographer: Getty Images Vladimir Putin oversaw Russian nuclear drills by air, land and sea. They [simulated]( a “massive nuclear strike by strategic forces in response to an enemy’s nuclear attack,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the president in televised comments late yesterday. Russia holds regular strategic drills toward the end of the year and these took place as NATO conducted its annual nuclear exercises that end today. Iran is quietly rebuilding ties with Sudan, stoking concern the Islamic Republic [will widen its military influence]( on the fringes of the Middle East and deepen a disastrous civil war. With cease-fire talks set to resume today, Tehran’s recent rapprochement with the Sudanese army throws a potential wildcard into the crisis. The US would be forced to intervene if Beijing attacks Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, Biden said, after two separate collisions in the disputed waterway over the weekend. “I want to be very clear: The United States’ [defense commitment to the Philippines]( is ironclad,” he said at the White House during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The EU is falling behind on plans to provide Ukraine [with a million artillery shells]( by March, sources say, potentially giving Russian forces an advantage in the supply of ammunition. Brazil’s lower house of congress has approved legislation creating new [taxes on the country’s wealthiest residents](, a boost for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s plans to increase government revenue and balance the budget. Support for South Africa’s ruling African National Congress [has slipped]( while the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is growing in popularity, according to a survey. Washington Dispatch Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Washington today for meetings with officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. He will also see Biden tomorrow, a source says. The trip comes as the US and China regard one another with suspicion against a backdrop of international anxiety over the Israel-Hamas war and the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, the two nations have been trying to stabilize the relationship, and US cabinet officers including Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have traveled to China. Wang’s visit [will be the first]( by Beijing’s top foreign policy official since March 2021. It could lay the groundwork for a meeting between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco next month. Biden for months has said he hoped to meet Xi, but Chinese officials haven’t confirmed his attendance at the gathering. One thing to watch today: The Bureau of Economic Analysis releases its advance estimate on US gross domestic product for the third quarter. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 5pm ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day The US economy probably expanded at the fastest clip in nearly two years, a surprising acceleration primarily powered by consumers reaping the benefits of resilient job growth, rising wealth and easing inflation. GDP is projected to have grown at an annual rate of 4.5% last quarter, [more than double the pace]( in the prior period, a Bloomberg survey of economists shows. And Finally On some days Mumbai’s pollution rivals that of even India’s capital, New Delhi, prompting local authorities to turn [to unprecedented ways]( to improve air quality. The city has asked that construction sites be covered with 35-feet-high (11-meter) sheets to block dust, while anti-smog machines and small trucks with canons that spew mist to weigh down suspended dust particles will be deployed on major roads. Heavy smog on the streets of New Delhi. Photographer: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images More from Bloomberg - Listen to our [X Space discussion]( on how the White House is dealing with tensions on three major fronts - [Economics Daily]( for what the changing landscape means for policy makers, investors and you - [Green Daily]( for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance - [Next Africa](, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed - Explore more newsletters at [Bloomberg.com](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. 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